A funny thing happened this morning on my commute to Provo. That's right---my commute to Provo. The fact that I'm commuting to Provo by bus is funny (pathetic) enough, but there's more. See, I'm a little low on funds right now, so commuting by bus seemed smarter than driving Clicky back and forth (I have to fill up almost two times a week if I drive Clicky to Provo and back every day). It meant, though, that I had to get up at 5:40 this morning (that was sleeping in, by the way) to get out the door by 6:00. That left me with very little time to grab any food. I stole a couple of oatmeal packets from El Senor, grabbed an apple and a Rice Krispie treat, and headed out the door.
I was planning to sleep on my commute. Truly it was the only thing that got me out of bed at 5:40---the promise that I could sleep during the two-hour ride to Provo. I think I got a total of about ten minutes of sleep between Salt Lake and Provo. Truly, truly sad.
When I got on the bus from BYU to work, my mom called and we chatted a little. She asked what I would be eating today and I gave her my list: two packs of oatmeal, an apple, and a Rice Krispie treat (truth is, I'd already eaten the Rice Krispie treat). And then we laughed and laughed at my impoverished state. And we laughed and laughed about the fact that this was all the food I had to eat until 7:00 this evening (at which point I could go back to the apartment and eat more of El Senor's food).
I got off the bus and got off the phone and was then approached by a girl who had been on the bus with me.
"I overheard that you don't have much food today. Would you like my ham and cheese sandwich? I only work till 1:30 and I always feel a little silly eating lunch right before going home."
Of course my first inclination was to say no, because it seems to me that taking someone else's lunch would either make me a vagrant or a bad person (note: vagrants are not bad people). But then I thought better of it and accepted her kind offer.
Then she brought out an ENORMOUS ham and cheese sandwich with carrot sticks and gave it to me.
It never felt so good to be so poor.
(Also, this whole incident may be the result of KARMA.)
On a Related Note:
I came into work carrying my huge ham and cheese sandwich and mentioned to a coworker who had been on the bus that talking about my relative state of poverty on the bus actually pays off. He told me that only pure charity could have motivated the girl to give me her lunch. Then I looked down on his desk and in a plastic bag, he had a teeny tiny laptop. I said, "Is that a tiny laptop?" He responded, "Oh yeah. My home teachers came over the other day and one said he had a bunch of old laptops and asked me if I wanted one. I did, but I couldn't really accept a laptop from someone, so I said no. He said okay, but later that day, he brought over a couple of laptops anyway." And he calls my ham and cheese sandwich pure charity!
7 comments:
Hooray for public transportation. I've always thought the invention of the automobile was actually a subtle tool of the devil.
Think about it: more cars = fewer people walking (which = poorer cardiovascular health) or riding the bus = fewer opportunities for charity and less interaction between good people who may influence one another for good (like missionaries making contacts, for example) and fewer opportunities for single people to meet other single people during their morning commutes, which = fewer babies born.
Oh, the cunning plan of the evil one!
Wow. What a nice girl. Next time you should definitely talk to your mom about how you are so poor that you can't afford a laptop.
And I think you are wise and eco-friendly for taking the bus instead of driving. Cheers.
The bus! I knew there was a way to get to Provo and back the many, many times I need to without spending thirty dollars a time.
Thank you. Your works are pure charity.
hmmm....public discussion of my poverty....can i use this? it's quite genius.
I think the true charity would be giving someone a house or a ranch or sum'm
Food is great. You can live without a tiny laptop, but you would shrivel up and die without food. Think of the poor performance you'd have at work because of low blood sugar and stuff.
That's one thing I miss about Utah. I don't think I could take food from a stranger in Miami.
Good for you for accepting the sandwich. There's nothing worse than offering something to a person in need and having them turn you down. It probably took some courage for that girl to come over and offer that sandwich and I'm sure you made her day by accepting it.
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